Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

This is my secret weapon for seriously fast midweek meals: My Authentic Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce. It takes minutes to make and can be stored in the fridge for weeks. It has plenty of flavour just used plain but also fantastic with extra flavourings added.

My Stir Fry Sauce is sensational used for both stir fries and stir fried noodles. This recipe is a keeper!

Restaurant Secret: you know when you go to a packed Asian restaurant or take out during lunch hour and you’re handed a plate of fresh-out-of-the-wok stir fry 5 minutes after ordering? I hate to disappoint you, but the cooks standing over the flames aren’t throwing together 10 ingredient sauce mixes for every single dish…….What they actually use are ready made sauces as a base, then add additional flavours for different dishes.

These all purpose stir fry sauces are closely guarded secrets of restaurants – you won’t uncover them simply by googling, that’s for sure! Today I’m sharing mine. I call him Charlie (as in Charlie Brown….as in “Brown Sauce”, which stir fry sauces are commonly referred to as). Perfected and tweaked over years, I’ve been loyal to Charlie for a decade (and counting).

The brilliant thing about Charlie is that you make him just by combining the ingredients in a jar, them just store him in the fridge where he’ll happily reside for weeks – months even. Then you simply heat some oil in a wok, throw in whatever proteins, vegetables and noodles you want, then throw Charlie in with some water and he’ll magically transform into a thick, glossy sauce that lusciously coats your stir fry. He’s great plain, but so versatile too – add heat, herbs, fruity sweetness or some tang. I’ve provided some of my favourite variations in the recipe below.

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Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

Prep Time

2mins

Total Time

2mins

My secret weapon for mid week meals - an All Purposes Chinese Stir Fry Sauce, a versatile base that makes a wonderfully glossy sauce for any stir fry, including stir fried noodles. Store it in the fridge in a jar for when you need it - just make sure to leave sufficient headroom in the jar so you can give it a good shake before using. This makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce which is enough for around 12 servings.

1 - 2tspground white pepper(I sometimes use 1 tbsp, I like the spiciness!)

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Store in fridge and shake before use.

Amount to Use (Note 6):

Stir Fry: I use 3 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water to make a stir frying for 2 people using around 5 cups of uncooked ingredients (proteins + vegetables).

Noodles: I use 3 tbsp of the Stir Fry sauce + 5 - 6 tbsp water to make a noodle stir fry for 2 people using around 7 cups of the combined stir fry uncooked (vegetables - packed, proteins + noodles - if using).

Add your choice of Base Flavourings - fry for 10 seconds or so to infuse oil.

Add stir fry ingredients in order of time to cook (starting with ingredients that take longest to cook), leaving leafy greens, like the leaves of bok choy, until when you add the sauce (otherwise they will wilt and overcook).

Gently toss to combine and to let the sauce cook for around 1 minute. The sauce will become a thick, glossy sauce that coats your stir fry.

Serve immediately.

Base Flavourings

Garlic, minced or finely sliced

Ginger, minced or finely sliced

Fresh chillies, minced or finely sliced

Additional Flavouring Suggestions

Sriracha, Chilli Bean Paste or other Spicy addition

Sweet chilli sauce

Substitute the water with pineapple or orange juice

Rice vinegar - for a touch of tartness

Fresh cilantro / coriander leaves, or thai basil - for freshness

Garlic or ordinary chives, chopped

Pinch of Chinese five spice powder

Recipe Notes

1. Light soy sauce is lighter in colour that the more common dark soy sauce, but it is actually saltier. The main reason for using light soy sauce in this recipe is so the colour is not as dark. So if you do not have light soy sauce, you can substitute it with normal soy sauce, but the sauce will be darker than it should be, and slightly less salty (but not very noticeable).

I use Lee Kum Kee brand for the light soy sauce and Kikkoman for the ordinary soy sauce. If you don't have all purpose soy sauce, just use more light soy sauce, and same if you don't have light soy sauce i.e. just use more all purpose.

2. If using dried rather than fresh noodles, add a few extra tablespoons of water. The reason for this is that dried noodles, even after cooking them (usually just by covering them in hot water in a bowl), absorb more liquids than fresh noodles. So you need more liquid to have a saucier finish.

3. To make this sauce vegan, substitute the oyster sauce with hoisin sauce. This gives the sauce a slight Chinese Five Spice Powder flavour which is thoroughly authentic!

4. This will last for weeks and weeks, depending on the expiry date of the ingredients you use. There is nothing in this that will go "off", so just check the expiry date of the ingredients you use in this, at use that as a guide. I usually use mine in about 4 weeks, but it will definitely last longer.

If you have it in the fridge for ages untouched, then you will need a butter knife or something to mix up the cornstarch that will settle and harden in the bottom of the jar.

5. Chinese Cooking Wine substitute - the cooking wine plays an important part in giving this sauce an extra depth of flavour that elevates it from "just a sauce" to a "real Chinese" sauce. However, for those who cannot have alcohol (and please remember, the alcohol cooks out in the stir fry so there is zero alcohol in the finished dish!), apple juice or grape juice is the best substitute. Otherwise, chicken broth/stock, as a second fall back, with 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar.

IMPORTANT: If you sub the wine, then the shelf life of the sauce will be determined by the shelf life of what you use as the sub.

6. These quantities make stir fries that are nicely coated with sauce, but without pools of sauce. The stir fry is saucier than the noodles, so it soaks into the rice. With the noodles, the sauce clings to it really well so you don't need pools of sauce. If you want more sauce, increase the amount of Stir Fry Sauce used with double the amount of water e.g. If you add 1 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce, add 2 tbsp water.

7. Chinese wine is a key ingredient in this. Best next substitute is dry sherry, and after that Japanese cooking sake. If you are unable to consume alcohol, then leave it out and just use water instead. (Chicken broth would be a good sub but the shelf life is too short)

Thank you for sharing your secret sauce, I cant wait to make it after I made stir fry vegis with boneless chicken breast for my wife just using roasted garlic teriyaki sauce by kikkoman. We ate it, but did not taste like restaurant style.
Can I use teriyaki sauce instead ? xo joseph

Great sauce! I’ve been looking for the perfect stir-fry sauce for me and now I’ve found it. I really like the ability to customize the sauce using the Base Flavourings and Additional Flavouring Suggestions.

Hi Nagi, Thank you soooo much for ALL of your fabulous recipes! My kids and I have MANY favorites, but Charlie has got to be my utmost favorite, I ALWAYS have a jar of him in the fridge. I have gotten into the habit of slicing up and freezing any leftover meat, that is not quite enough to do for leftovers the next day, but boy, does it ever go a long way for those unexpected guests, or just, what’s for dinner tonight, cause I’ve always got plenty of veggies in the fridge, toss em in the wok, add the meat and Charlie and WOW every time!
,

Hello Nagi, I love your recipes! Thank you so much for being so generous with your time and expertise. Do you have a favourite brand of Hoisin sauce that I can purchase here in Australia? The last bottle I bought from my Asian grocery store was very harsh in flavour. Thank you in advance for any advice.

Gosh sorry to hear that Vicki! I use Lee Kum Kee from Woolies etc – just avoid the orange one (Ayam brand), it doesn’t taste quite right. I made that mistake for the first time a few months ago, ended up tossing the whole bottle. N x

Hi Nagi! What would I need to add to this sauce to create the sweet spicy garlic sauce that I buy at my local Chinese take out place? I just buy the sauce and make my own stir fry, but I’d like to make my own.

Hi, Nagi, I just found your website today and I can’t wait to try your Charlie sauce! However, I live in the United States (Tacoma, Washington) and I haven’t a clue what Chinese cooking wine is. We do have Asian food markets here, so I can probably get it, but I have no idea what I’m looking for…I don’t want to use saki, which I love, because I found out I’m allergic to rice!!!! Is Chinese cooking wine also rice based? Is there a brand I can look for? Thanks so much, and I’m looking forward to checking out your other recipes. (I love your cooking tips!)
Daphne

Hi, love the website. Looking to make up a jar of this but slightly confused with the Soy sauce. I tend to use Chinese brand soy sauces which are labelled as Light and Dark (usually Lee Kum Lee brand). It might be a silly question but would you happen to know if the dark is what you are considering all purpose?

I ask because here in the UK it seems to be the opposite. What we consider just plain old “standard” soy sauce is usually under the Chinese brands classed as light. I’m wondering if there is a difference that necessitates me going out to pick up a bottle of Kikkoman brand. Can you help out a confused Brit please? 🙂

Hi Neil! Using more light sauce will be just fine 🙂 Chinese soy sauces are labelled light and dark, then we also have all purpose soy sauces which are not labelled like that which I call “all purpose”. Using light soy sauce will be just fine!

Thanks Nagi!!!! Made it up using just light soy and used some to cook your Proper chicken chow mein recipe this evening. WOW.
Way more flavoursome than the take away chow mein’s I’m used to. A lovely spiciness from the pepper, subtle nutiness from the oil and sweetness from the oyster and sugar all came through from this sauce.
Now I just have to decide what dish to make next 🙂

Note 5 you mentioned a good substitute for Chinese wine is apple juice or grape juice. I want to clarify if this is fresh apple/grape juice or any apple/grape juice that we can buy from the grocery stores or supermarket. Many thanks in advance.

Hello Nagi, I really love this sauce and friends love it. I just wondering that if I can substitute something for oyster sauce. Because some friends are allergic to oyster. Would you please give any suggestions? Thank you so much.